Mi Zhu
Mi Zhu ( 165–221),
courtesy name Zizhong, was a Chinese military general and politician who served under the warlord
Liu Bei in the late
Eastern Han dynasty, and briefly during the
Three Kingdoms period after Liu Bei founded the state of
Shu Han. He was also Liu Bei's brother-in-law, as his sister,
Lady Mi, married Liu Bei. Mi Zhu was essential to Liu Bei during the defeats of the latter, financing Liu Bei's army in critical times where there was no tax base. Mi Zhu was extremely well educated and helped Liu Bei develop relationships with wealthy rivals such as
Yuan Shao,
Yuan Shu and
Liu Biao. He was also the elder brother of
Mi Fang, who served Liu Bei as well until his defection to Liu Bei's ally-turned-rival
Sun Quan in 220. Mi Zhu served Liu Bei loyally for more than 25 years, as a high civil official of Liu during all the later's tenures as governor of
Xu,
Jing and
Yi provinces, the former's ideas were regularly and widely circulated to the common people which greatly helped Liu Bei's political movement as Han loyalist and
Confucian but, historians would argue it mere rhetoric as Liu ruled more in the tradition of
legalism. Nonetheless, Mi along with
Jian Yong,
Sun Qian, and later
Yi Ji, greatly contributed to the Liu's populist movement to restore the
Han dynasty through literature and essays. Mi Zhu was thought to be Liu's best friend and most favored subject, he died of illness a little over a year after Liu Bei declared himself emperor.
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